The Anderson intelligencer. [volume] (Anderson Court House, S.C.) 1860-1914, 1887-01-13

4OuMauo.'' " oHo !ni uCl.
total 81, of whom eleven are lawyers,
six are farmers, two are doctors. one is a
preacher and one is merchant.
This looks very much like the, coli.
garchy Of lawyers" of whom 1 have
spoken SO often heretofore, did it? 1t
looks very much like the non agricultu-
raj members of the Senate, at all events,
are willing to sneer at and spit upon far
mels' efforts to obtain control of our
peculiar affairs" If the six farmer Sen.
ators controlled the fifteen non. .agricul-
tural Senators in their action, it is the
first instance on record of an agricultural
tail wagging the legal dog. If the far.
mers whose votes sent these men to the
Senate have any aelf:respect; if they
have any manhood and proper sense of
resentment; if they are not the dogs
they are taken for, they will, when the
time comes, see to it that the men who
thus contemptuously put this indignity
upon them are properly rewarded. If
we cannot reorganize the agricultural
department, we can reorganize the SEN
ate. The farmers of the State are fast
sinking to the level of serfs-hewers of
wood and drawers of water for others.
An efficient and representative board Of
agriculture, together with an agricultural
college to act as pioneer in mapping
out the new system of farming We are
compelled to pursue ere we can expect
any change for the better, could do much
to aid and assist them to recover their
lost prosperity. But these six agricultu.
raj Solons and their fifteen professional
associates say to them in effect: "You
don't know what you want. We will
continue to tax you to support depart
ment of agriculture which you do not
feel is beneficial to your interests as now
conducted, because aoe like it. We will
vote your money to support the South
Carolina College and Citadel because zoe
think those schools are all we need /; but
your Agricultural College is a humbug.
We know it. Wisdom will die with u.s.
So we will not even spend your own
money to investigate the matter and let
a commission report so we can act intel.
ligently.
1t may be said the farmers in the Sen.
ate were divided, as they were six for
and six against the bill. Then if the
professional men in the Senate had
needed lights as to the wishes of the far.
mers of the State, if the actions of two
farmers conventions had no weight, the
almost unanimous vote by which the bill
passed the House, composed largely of
farmers, should have made them hesitate
to postpone it.
But I have my own opinion as to how
this thing was brought about. I visited
Columbia three times during the recent
session of the Legislature. kept my
eyes and ears open. I learned a great
deal that would be of value to the people
if had time to tell it, and I will, when
occasion offers, let out some of the 'true
inwardness" of what I saw and learned.
could tell why and how the hopes of
the people as regards reforms and reduc-
ton of expenditures, &C.. resulted only
in the cutting off Of beggarly thousand
dollars-the Lieutenant Governors sala-
ary. I could show that once an abuse is
planted and takes root in South Caro-.
lima it is harder than nut grass to get rid
of. But just now I will only give my
belief as to why the Senate postponed
the bill to reorganize the agricultural
department. Ofcourse some of the Sen.
ators voted against it because of their
resentment against "Tillman dictation,''
for Mr.. Gonzales says go some voted
two at least-because they never vote
against one of the Senators from Charles
ton, so am told !; others voted against
it because I am credited with having had
much to do with the slaughter of the
Columbia Canal and the Ring wanted
revenge, though, to tell the truth, arm
totally innocent in that matter. Some
voted against it because farmers and
"farmers' movements" stink in their
nostrils. But the real cause, though
many Senators do not know it perhaps,
is that the phosphate interests of the
State are controlled by the department
of agriculture, and the Coosaw Mining
Company is too we'll satisfied with the
present management of that interest to
allow change if it could prevent it
Why a board of agriculture should
have anything to do with collecting a
mining royalty, farmers Of ordinary
intelligence cannot understand. We do
not see the connection between the two,
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